River Ecology and Our Future In The Southwest

Rivers are perhaps the most important of our natural resources, delivering precious water and providing habitat for humans and wildlife alike. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Chris Rasmussen, a river ecologist with Eco Mainstream Consulting, about the delicate ecology of rivers in the Southwest, and how incidents like the recent mine waste spill into the Animas River highlight the need for more protections and long term changes.

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Weather and climate are many times used interchangeably, but are really terms used to explain different phenomena. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Rebecca Samulski, Montezuma Chapter Coordinator for Firewise of Southwest Colorado about the important differences in weather and climate, how they are considered in wildfire forecasts, and the potential for wildfire in the Four Corners area as temperatures begin to soar.

In this episode of the River Trip, host Sam Carter provides some river news from around the Four Corners area, and talks with Ken Curtis, Chief of Engineering and Construction at the Dolores Water Conservancy District, about how the district manages water for irrigation and municipal uses, and how the future of water management looks as southwest Colorado faces another year of drought.

The spring rains have been a welcome change, but how does increased moisture here in the Four Corners area relate to bigger weather patterns like El Niño? KSJD's Jeff Pope asked a question on the iSeeChange Almanac about our spring weather, and Dr. Paul Roundy, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Albany in New York, provided an answer.

In the mountain streams of the American West, the trout rules. People don't just catch this fish; they honor it. And spend lots of money pursuing it.

But some western trout may be in trouble. Rivers and streams are getting warmer and there's often less water in them. Scientists suspect a changing climate is threatening this iconic fish.

I joined two such scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey as they drove up a mountain road in Montana, in the northern Rockies, a place dense with stands of Douglas fir and aspen trees and braided with mountain streams.